Patent GB-471053-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in multiplying apparatus
Filed: 1936-01-23
Abstract: 471,053. Statistical machines. REMINGTON RAND, Inc. Jan. 23, 1936, No. 2230. Convention date, Jan. 23, 1935. [Class 106 (i)] Apparatus for multiplying a variable amount by a fixed multiplier comprises denominational columns of settable stops 61, and denominational slides 68 for reading the setting of the stops, the parts of the stops from which the setting is read being spaced farther apart than the portions which receive the setting, a corresponding number of product registering wheels actuated through gearing from said slides, the gear ratio and the spacing ratio of the read ends of the stops to the setting-receiving ends being such as to produce a movement of each registering wheel which is a fixed multiple of the amount represented by the spacing of the setting-receiving ends of two adjacent stops. Fig. 3 shows an existing form of card reproducing punch in which the cards passing from magazine 28 to magazine 31 are read at the station 26 and their data reproduced by punches 43 in cards passing from magazine 45 to magazine 47. The connection box 57 with the connection rods 125 is removable as a unit and for the purpose of the present invention is removed and replaced by the multiplying unit shown in Fig. 9. In the latter unit, some rods 61 go straight down to reproduce the customer's identification number, meter readings &c., in the lower card from magazine 45, whereas those rods 61 corresponding to the " cubic feet used " field of the upper card, Fig. 15, are splayed out as shown in Fig. 9, so that their pins 67 are pitched apart a distance which is a fixed multiple, (e.g. nine) of the pitch distance of the upper ends of pins 61; those upper ends contacting with the lower ends of pins 41, Fig. 3. The lower ends of rods 61 are replaced by rods 64 which actuate the gag members 49 for the punches 43. By the mechanism described below, the consumption of gas in hundreds of cubic feet is multiplied by the fixed rate, (e.g. 9 cents per hundred cubix feet) in one machine cycle. The pins 61 for one card column are shown in Fig. 9. Coacting with each column of pins 61 is a measuring bar 68, Fig. 10, sliding on common rods 72 and having a lug 71 in line with pins 67. Associated with each bar 68 is a rack member 73, carried also upon rods 72, having lower teeth meshing with a wheel 82 and having pivoted to it at 78b a release bar 78 which controls the coupling of an associated pair of members 68, 73. Transfer mechanism.-A wheel 75 coacting with each rack 68a is rigid with an escapement wheel which is controlled by a pawl 79 rigid with the bar 78 and a pawl 81 pivoted to the bar. The shaft for each escape wheel is carried on the appropriate rack 73. Each pair of members 68, 73 is pulled to the right, Fig. 9, by a spring 74. When a flexible finger 86, in moving clockwise, is moved laterally by a ramp 87, it meets and raises the bar 78 of the next higher denomination. This causes the pawl 79 to rise and limit the rotation of the escape wheel and the pawl 81 is rocked to release the wheel and hold the next tooth. The rack 73 of the higher denomination is thereby moved by spring 118 one step forward relatively to its measuring bar 68. One step is the pitch distance of the teeth on wheel 83. Each wheel 82, rotated by a rack 73, is rigid with a wheel 83 having a larger number of teeth and having a finger 86 for every ten teeth. For a fixed multiplier of, say, nine, the pitch distance of pins 67 is nine times the pitch distance of the upper ends of rods 61. When bars 68 and their racks 73 are allowed to move to the right by bail 76, each bar 68 moves until its lug 71 meets the pin 67 of the rod 61 depressed by that card column reading. A number of teeth of wheel 83 will thereby pass a given point according to the digit read, say seven. and the value of the multiplier, nine. In the instance given this would be sixty-three teeth ; six fingers 86 will cause successive transfers to the higher wheel 83 and the last such finger 86 will come to rest three teeth past the righthand end of ramp 87 for the lower wheel. For the next higher wheel 83 a finger 86 will be six teeth past its ramp. Subsequently, racks 92 are raised into engagement with their corresponding wheels 83 and a bail 95, 121 is then moved to the right by pinion 119 to allow springs 96 to move racks 92 to the right. Each rack 92 moves its wheel 83 counterclockwise until the last finger 86 to effect transfer meets the right-hand end of its ramp 87. Thus the above-mentioned lower wheel 83 moves back three teeth and the next higher wheel six teeth so that the lugs 97 of the corresponding racks 92 are arrested over the third and sixth rods 64 in the corresponding columns. Subsequently the rods are depressed by lever 98 to set the gags 49 for punching sixty-three. Multiplication by fractions. Where the multiplier contains the fraction ¢, Fig. 16, the pitch of the pins 67 is adjusted accordingly and the pins for the even numbered multiplicand digits are set to give the exact product as above, since the multiplication of an even number by ¢ gives a whole number. For the odd numbered multiplicand digits the pins 67 are arranged to move each wheel 83 for the proper whole number and means are provided for adding the digit " 5 " in the next lower denomination. For this, each lug 71 on the measuring bars 68 has two abutment faces separated by the distance necessary to move the next lower order wheel 83 five teeth and the guide 69 in which each bar 68 slides, is moved when an odd numbered pin 67 is actuated to raise the bars 68 under the influence of suitable sensing mechanism so that the extra movement is allowed to the bars 68 by the coaction of the lower abutment face with the pins 67. In a modification, Fig. 17 (not shown), for a multiplier including the fraction 1/3, the stop 71 has three abutment faces. In the modification in Figs. 18 and 20, each measuring bar 68a is triplicated into three bars 68b, 68c, and 68d, having lugs 71b, 71c, 71d, (not shown), which coact with three differently spaced sets of pins 67b, 67c, and 67d on each column of stops 61 and means are provided to determine which bar 68b, 68c, or 68d, shall be effective. Three fixed multipliers are thus provided for ; this is for varying electricity charge rates, e.g. in which the first fifteen units are charged at 9 cents per unit, the next twenty four units at 5 cents per unit, and all over thirty-nine units at 4 cents per unit. The three sets of pins 67b, &c. would therefore be spaced for multipliers of 9, 5 and 4. The bars 68b, 68c, 68d rest upon, offsets 142x, 142y, 142z respectively, integral with slides 142b, 142c, 142d which have lugs 143b, 143c, 143d. The paths of lugs 71b &c. are below the pins 67b &c. and according to which slide 142b &c. is raised, the coacting set of the three sets of bars 68b, 68c, 68d, will be raised to co-operate with pins 67b &c. for multiplication. Coacting with the lugs 143b, 143c, 143d, is a hook lever 144 mounted in a vertically reciprocating frame and positioned laterally under one or other of the lugs 143b &c., by a system of pins 156 and levers 155 which are actuated by pins 154 on the lower ends of the rods 61. According to the charge limits (15, 24 and over 39 units as stated above) and the digits in each denomination of the consumption field of the record card, the levers 155 are selectively actuated and operate the pins 156 to position the hook 144 under the correct lugs 143b 143c, 143d. ,